Seoul: Kim Moon-soo, a labor activist turned conservative politician, has secured the People Power Party (PPP)'s presidential nomination to contest in the upcoming June 3 election. Kim garnered 56.5 percent support in the party's primary, surpassing former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, who received 43.5 percent.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Kim will be competing against the Democratic Party (DP) candidate Lee Jae-myung in the presidential race. The election follows the removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol from office due to his failed attempt at imposing martial law. With just a month left before the election, Kim has pledged to unify the party and collaborate with other political forces to ensure victory.
In his acceptance speech, Kim emphasized the importance of preventing DP's Lee Jae-myung from taking office, stating, "I will establish strong solidarity with any forces to prevent the DP Lee Jae-myung from taking office." He also outlined his intention to pursue constitutional amendments and implement comprehensive reforms in the political, judicial, and electoral systems, including abolishing privileges for lawmakers and the early voting system.
Kim has positioned himself as a "security president," dedicated to addressing the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons and working towards unification with the North. He stated, "I will ensure that extremist forces seeking to undermine our system cannot destabilize this nation. I will firmly uphold the Republic of Korea as a free and democratic country."
Kim's stance within the conservative bloc has been strengthened after he refused to apologize for Yoon's martial law decree and opposed his impeachment, in contrast to Han Dong-hoon, who publicly criticized the decree and supported Yoon's removal.
Despite Kim's nomination, the race remains uncertain. Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced his presidential candidacy on Friday, signaling a potential merger of campaigns with the conservative party's candidate. Although not currently affiliated with any political party, Han Duck-soo has shown higher approval ratings than the PPP candidates in recent polls and is expected to coordinate with the PPP nominee to consolidate the conservative vote against DP's Lee, who is leading public opinion polls.
Kim has expressed willingness to unify the conservative candidacy with Han Duck-soo, while Han Dong-hoon criticized the former prime minister for attempting to join the race without participating in the party's primary process. During a press conference on Saturday, Kim did not specify how a potential merger would occur but noted his personal closeness to Han, mentioning a phone conversation they had earlier in the day.
Kim also commented on the possibility of Yoon leaving the PPP, stating that he has not yet considered the issue.